Court reporters; increase authorized salary for.
SB 2899 amends Mississippi law governing circuit and chancery court reporters. The bill changes court reporters from being paid on a permissive basis to being paid an annual salary, and it raises the maximum authorized salary levels by experience tier: up to $59,400 for reporters with five years or less of experience, $70,200 for those with more than five but less than ten years, and $76,800 for those with ten or more years of experience. The bill keeps the existing framework under which the Administrative Office of Courts administers payment and counties contribute their proportionate share based on the number of court weeks held in each county within a district.
The bill also revises the rules for official court reporters who want to do freelance reporting. It allows freelance work so long as the matter is not under the jurisdiction of the court where the reporter is appointed, and it specifically protects reporters who have no delinquent work from their appointing court and are not needed for court attendance from being barred from freelancing. At the same time, it prohibits reimbursement of freelance-related travel or other expenses by the court, the Administrative Office of Courts, or the employing government entity, and it bars use of government-owned equipment for freelance work.
In practical terms, the bill updates Section 9-13-19 of the Mississippi Code and affects circuit and chancery court reporters, county boards of supervisors, the Administrative Office of Courts, and the judges and chancellors who supervise court reporter assignments. It also preserves existing rules on mileage reimbursement for official duties, the prohibition on practicing law in the court where the reporter serves, and the retirement-credit treatment of salary versus transcript fees and other reimbursements. The act takes effect July 1, 2025.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate 51-0, the House 115-0, and the Senate concurred in the House amendment 50-0, indicating unanimous support in both chambers. The absence of committee transcript debate suggests the measure was treated as a routine compensation and administrative update rather than a contested policy change.
The main point of potential contention, though not reflected in the votes, is the freelance-reporting provision. That change relaxes restrictions on official court reporters and could raise questions about conflicts of interest, workload expectations, and the use of public resources. The salary increase and county funding obligations could also be of interest to local governments, but the unanimous votes suggest those concerns did not generate significant opposition.
SB 2899 amends Section 9-13-19 of the Mississippi Code to require annual salary payment for circuit and chancery court reporters and to increase the maximum salary caps by experience level. It preserves the county/AOC funding structure, with counties transferring their share of compensation to the Administrative Office of Courts, and it clarifies that the salary increase is not paid from the State General Fund. The bill also loosens restrictions on freelance reporting by official court reporters while imposing guardrails against conflicts of interest and use of public resources. These changes directly affect court reporters, county governments, the Administrative Office of Courts, and the judicial officers who approve compensation and assignments.
The bill appears to have broad, bipartisan, and essentially unanimous support. It passed the Senate 51-0, the House 115-0, and the Senate concurred in the House amendment 50-0. With no committee transcript available and no recorded opposition in the voting history, the measure seems to have been viewed as a practical compensation adjustment and administrative clarification rather than a controversial policy shift.
The most notable substantive issue is the new allowance for freelance reporting by official court reporters. Supporters likely viewed this as a flexibility measure for reporters with no delinquent court work and no required attendance, while any critics would likely focus on possible conflicts of interest, divided attention, or the risk of using public office status to support private work. A secondary issue is fiscal: the bill raises salary ceilings and requires county contributions, which could matter to local budgets even though the bill expressly avoids using the State General Fund for the increase.